Danny Murphy has admitted he got it wrong on Arsenal, and he believes they could push for the Premier League title this season.
Match of the Day 2 pundit Danny Murphy was speaking on Sunday’s programme about Arsenal, following the Gunners’ 3-1 win over Liverpool.
Murphy conceded that whilst he’d doubted Mikel Arteta’s side earlier in the campaign, he now believes he got that wrong.
“Well I, like many others, doubted whether Arsenal were going to be able to keep the pace with Liverpool and Manchester City,” Murphy admitted.
“I shouldn’t have. I was wrong to doubt them. They’re a hell of a side.
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“And if they play with that level of intensity and quality from now until the end of the season, they’ll be pushing.
“It was a brilliant first-half performance, and great game management late in the game. So many good things from them. Lots for Arsenal fans to be pleased about.”
There’s still a long way to go in the current campaign, and it’s arguably not Liverpool that Arsenal need to worry about.
Manchester City are now ahead of the Gunners on goal difference, with a game in hand on both Arsenal and Liverpool. Should they win that game, they’d be top of the league by a point.
We’ve seen for many seasons that City are capable of going on a run in the second half of the campaign, and there’s little reason to believe this year will be different.
Sunday’s match may have felt like a battle for the title, but in reality, neither side are currently favourites to win it.
March could prove pivotal, with City set to face Liverpool at Anfield on March 10th and Arsenal at the Etihad on March 31st.
City also play Chelsea and Manchester United before that, but you won’t find many Arsenal fans holding out hope for dropped points in those fixtures.
From an Arsenal perspective, the Gunners need to focus on getting a winning run going outside of the big games, so they’re ready to capitalise if and when their chances come.